Page No 136:

Question 2-(b):

What are the problems
faced by the old people as a result?

Answer:

Page No 136:

Question 2-(a):

What are the reasons
for the old people being "abused, harassed and
abandoned" in India?

Answer:

The old
people feel very lonely and ignored. They often feel depressed. They
feel that they have nobody to care for them. They cannot share their
problems with anybody. Lives in metropolitan cities have left no time
with members of the family to spend with each other.

Page No 154:

Question 4:

Given below are the
main incidents in the play. They are in a jumbled order.

Arrange them in the
sequence in which they occur in the play.

1. Victoria is asked to
fetch the bunch of keys to the bureau to look for the insurance
receipt.

2. Mrs. Slater
instructs Victoria to put her white frock on with a black sash.

3. Mrs Slater discovers
that grandfather is 'dead'.

4. The Slaters fetch
the bureau and the clock from upstairs.

5. The family sits down
to have tea.

6. Henry wears the new
slippers of grandfather's

7. Grandfather comes to
know how his daughters were in a hurry to divide his things between
them.

8. Grandfather
announces his intention to change his will and to marry
Mrs. Shorrocks.

9. Grandfather comes
down and is surprised to find the Jordans.

10. They discuss the
obituary announcement in the papers and the insurance premium
payment.

11. The Jordans arrive
and learn the details of grandfather's 'demise'from the Slaters.

Answer:

3. Mrs Slater discovers
that grandfather is 'dead'.

2. Mrs. Slater
instructs Victoria to put her white frock on with a black sash.

6. Henry wears the new
slippers of grandfather's

4. The Slaters fetch
the bureau and the clock from upstairs.

11. The Jordans arrive
and learn the details of grandfather's 'demise'from the Slaters.

5. The family sits down
to have tea.

10. They discuss the
obituary announcement in the papers and the insurance premium
payment.

1. Victoria is asked to
fetch the bunch of keys to the bureau to look for the insurance
receipt.

9. Grandfather comes
down and is surprised to find the Jordans.

7. Grandfather comes to
know how his daughters were in a hurry to divide his things between
them.

8. Grandfather
announces his intention to change his will and to marry
Mrs. Shorrocks.

Page No 155:

Question 5-(3):

What is the reason for
the Jordans taking a long time to get to the house of the Slaters?
What does it show about the two sisters' attitude towards each other?

Answer:

The
Jordans were late because they bought proper mourning dresses to wear
before they came to Slater’s house.

Both the
sisters were competing against each other and trying to be one up the
other. Mrs. Slater thought that her sister wouldn’t have
thought of mourning clothes, meanwhile Mrs. Jordan had already bought
readymade clothes for mourning. Rather than being concerned about the
death in the family, both sisters were worried about their
appearances and how they could outdo each other.

Page No 155:

Question 5-(1):

How does Mrs. Slater
plan to outshine the Jordans? What does it reveal about her
character?

Answer:

Mrs.
Slater was not very happy with the mourning dresses that she and her
family were wearing. In fact, she had ordered new dresses for
everybody. However, she thought that her sister wouldn’t have
thought of mourning dresses and so she would outshine them there.
Mrs. Slater was a very superficial person. She was not concerned
about the death in her family but was more bothered about her
appearance and how to be better than her sister.

Page No 155:

Question 5-(2):

Why does Mrs. Slater
decide to shift the bureau from grandfather's room before the arrival
of the Jordans? How does Henry react to the suggestion?

Answer:

Mrs.
Slater always liked grandfather’s bureau. After his death, she
decided to shift it to sitting room before her sister arrived lest
she laid a claim on it.

Henry was
shocked at the suggestion because he felt that the sisters should
amicably divide grandfather’s things. He also felt that it was
too heavy and moreover, he was worried about the arrival of the
Jordans while they were shifting it.

Page No 155:

Question 5-(4):

What does Mrs. Jordan
describe as 'a fatal mistake'? What is the irony in the comment she
makes on Mrs. Slater's defense?

Answer:

Mrs.
Slater sends for Dr Pringle as soon as she realises that grandfather
is dead. However, Dr Pringle could not come as he was out. It was
this that Mrs. Jordan describes as a “fatal mistake”.
According to Mrs. Jordan grandfather could have been revived had Mrs.
Slater sent for another doctor. It is this blunder on Mrs. Slater’s
part that Mrs. Jordan describes as fatal.

Page No 155:

Question 5-(5):

Ben appreciates
grandfather saying 'its' a good thing he did'. Later he calls him a
'drunken old beggar'. Why does he change his opinion about
grandfather?

Answer:

Ben
appreciated grandfather when he came to know that he had gone out to
pay his insurance premium. However, when he got to know that he had
not paid the premium instead gone to a public house, he calls him a
drunken old beggar.

Ben
changed his opinion about grandfather when he realised that he hadn’t
paid premium because now after his death they could not claim the
insurance money.

Page No 155:

Question 5-(6):

What change does
grandfather make in his new will? What effect does it have on his
daughters?

Answer:

Grandfather
decided that in his new will, he would leave all his money and things
to the person he would be living with when he died. This led to
another spat between the daughters. Since both of them were very keen
to get his money and things, they wanted that he should stay with
them.

Page No 155:

Question 5-(7):

What are the three
things that grandfather plans to do on Monday next?

Answer:

The
three things that grandfather planned to do
on Monday next was first to go to a lawyer and change his will, then
pay his insurance premium and finally go to St. Phillip’s
church and get married.

Page No 155:

Question 6-(1):

Bring out the irony in
the title of the play.

Answer:

The
play is aptly titled Dear Departed:
the departed in this play was truly dear to his daughters and
sons-in-law. While they did not anxiously wait for his, they exactly
did not regret his sudden passing away.

Mrs.
Slater immediately assumed that the grandfather was dead. She,
without delay, sent a message to her sister. She arranged for tea for
her. She quickly brought down the bureau from the grandfather’s
room so that her sister could not claim it.

The sister
and brother-in law arrived late as they could not come without proper
mourning clothes. They chose to have tea first rather than pay their
respect to the departed soul. They cursed him for not having paid the
insurance premium.

When they
realised that grandfather was alive and was going to alter his will,
they quarrelled in front of him.

Thus, the
departed was dear as long as he left his wealth to them.

Page No 155:

Question 6-(2):

How does the spat
between his daughters lead to grandfather discovering the truth?

Answer:

The spat
happened when Mr. and Mrs. Jordan asked grandfather on whether he
remembered anything while sleeping. Mrs. Slater, however, prevented
Mrs. Jordan from coaxing grandfather. In fact, Mrs. Slater was scared
that he would remember that she and Mr. Slater had shifted the bureau
and the clock from his room. Mrs. Slater’s worst fears came
true when grandfather realised that the bureau and clock was shifted
to the sitting room.

This led
to a full fledged verbal exchange between the two sisters. Mrs.
Jordan told the grandfather that Mr. and Mrs. Slater shifted the
bureau and the clock from his room to the sitting room because they
thought he was dead and they were shifting things out of his room so
she couldn’t lay a claim on them.

After
discovering the truth, grandfather became very bitter because he felt
that his daughters didn’t even wait for his funeral to start
dividing things between them.

Page No 155:

Question 6-(3):

Compare and contrast
Henry's character with that of his wife. Support your answer with
evidence from they play.

Answer:

Henry
was a stooping, heavy man with a droopy
moustache. In fact his sister-in law described him well when she
says “Are you such a poor creature that you must do every dirty
thing she tells you?”

Henry
was a simple man who followed all his
wife’s instructions. She asks him to wear grandfather’s
slippers; he wears them even if they are a size smaller to him.
Unlike his wife, he is attached to the grandfather: he is not very
happy with his wife shifting the bureau and the clock from his room.
He felt that the sister should amicably divide things between them.
He wished that grandfather’s obituary in the newspaper should
be nice and poetic. He tried to stop the two sisters from
quarrelling but failed miserably. Henry was a straightforward man
unlike his wife who was a manipulative lady.

Page No 155:

Question 7:

Trait

Evidence from the
play

Greedy

Overpowering/ dominating

Blunt/ straight talking

Impolite

Insensitive

Answer:

Trait

Evidence from the
play

Greedy

She shifted
grandfather’s bureau and clock from his room before her
sister arrived so that she could not lay a claim on it.

Overpowering/ dominating

She made her husband shift
the bureau in spite of his reluctance.

Blunt/ straight talking

She told
everybody that her father had been a little drunk that morning

Impolite

She
misbehaved with her sister when she accused her of robbing
grandfather of his things in spite of the fact that she was guilty
of the same.

Insensitive

She did
not even wait for grandfather’s funeral before she started
dividing things between them.

Page No 155:

Question 8-(1):

"Are we pinching
it before Aunt Elizabeth comes?"

a) What does 'it' refer
to here?

b) How does Vicky
conclude that her parents are 'pinching it'?

c) Mention the two
reasons that Mrs. Slater gives for her action.

d) What does it reveal
about the difference between the attitude of the elders and that of
Vicky?

Answer:

a)
“It” refers to the bureau that was grandfather’s
room.

b)
When Victoria was told by her father that he and his mother were
shifting the bureau downstairs, she concluded that her parents are
“pinching it” because everything that was in
grandfather’s room had to be equally divided amongst the two
sisters.

c)
Mrs. Slater wanted the bureau for her husband Henry because he always
liked it. Moreover, she felt it was okay to have this kind of
mentality.

d)
The elders instead of mourning the death were busy dividing
grandfather’s things. Victoria, on the other hand, had wisdom
beyond her years. She immediately understood the meaning of their
actions. She didnot like her parents shifting the bureau.

Page No 156:

Question 9:

Victoria Slater is
truly attached to her Grandpa. As she sees the elders in her family
quarrel over the inheritance, she is bewildered and upset by their
attitude. As Victoria write a diary entry outlining the incident and
your feelings. (150 words)

Answer:

Dear
Diary,

What an
eventful day it was!! First grandpa died then, he came back to life.
We were on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

The
morning started as usual: grandpa was a
little drunk when he went out to pay his insurance premium. He came
back home and went straight to bed. When Mother went to check on him,
she thought he had passed away.

Aunt
Elizabeth and Uncle Ben arrived shortly. There were minor arguments
about who would be getting grandpa’s things. It was then when
we realised that grandpa had not died but was in a deep slumber. In
front of grandpa, the arguments turned into a full-fledged quarrel.
Grandpa felt very bad. He decided to alter his will.

Nobody
was bothered for grandpa’s funeral. They were only concerned
for his things. The whole day’s incident has left me very
bitter. There is no respect for the dead but everybody is only
concerned with the departed things.

However,
I am glad that grandpa is alive! Bye for now!

Page No 156:

Question 10:

Grandfather says, "It
seems to me that neither of you has any cause to feel proud about the
way you've treated me.'' While it is true that the daughters
disregard modesty, decency and flial obligation, grandfather
cannot be fully justified in practically disowning his family.
Besides, Victoria loves him and he seems to have spared no thought
for her feelings.

Divide yourselves into
groups of four or five and discuss the statement: Grandfather is not
entirely right in moving away from his daughters.

Answer:

This question is to
be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and
thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on
your own. However, some pointers for discussion have been provided
for your reference.

Grandfather
is very upset the way his children have behaved.

It
seems that they couldn’t wait for his funeral before dividing
his things.

In a
fit of rage he decides to change his will.

It is
initial reaction to the scene that happens before him.

If
grandfather was so upset with his daughters, he should have willed
his things and money to his grandchildren instead leaving it to a
total stranger.

His
grandchildren are very fond of him and so is he of them.

Page No 156:

Question 8-(2):

"I don't call that
delicate, stepping into a dead man's shoes in such haste."

a) Who makes this
comment?

b) What prompts the
speaker to say this?

c) Bring out the
significance of this statement.

Answer:

a)
Mrs. Jordan made this comment.

b)
When grandfather sees Henry wearing it, Mrs. Slater quickly gives
them back to him. This prompts Mrs. Jordan to make this comment.

c)
Stepping into dead man’s shoe is to take the position of the
dead man although one might not be capable of it. Mrs. Jordan on
seeing her brother-in law wearing grandfather’s shoes feels
that he was in too much of a hurry to step into the grandfather’s
shoes. He didn’t even wait for his funeral.

Page No 156:

Question 8-(3):

"Now, Amelia, you
mustn't give way. We've all got to die some time or other. It might
have been worse."

a) Who is the speaker
of these lines?

b) What prompts the
speaker to say these words?

c) What does he mean
when he says 'It might have been worse'?

d) What does it reveal
about the speaker's character?

Answer:

a)
Mr. Jordan is the speaker of these lines.

b)
When Mr. Jordan sees Mrs. Slater crying, he tries to console her by
saying these lines.

c)
Mr. Jordan means that it was okay if grandfather passed away, because
he was old and he died peacefully. It would have been worse if any of
them would have died because they are still young and have children
to look after.

d)
Mr. Jordan seems to know how to present himself in such situations.